A FATAL accident inquiry (FAI) into the drownings of a boy, 12, and a man, 39, five years apart, has been announced.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said on Friday that a joint inquiry into the deaths of Ruaridh Stevenson and Kayden Walker would take place.
Kayden, from Bridgeton in Glasgow, drowned after becoming trapped on the upstream side of a weir while on a day trip with a community group.
He was separated from his board during a river boarding session on the River Tay, near the village of Stanley, Perthshire on July 28, 2019.
The announcement of the FAI follows the prosecution of Outdoor Pursuits Scotland Ltd in October 2024 for health and safety failings which led to Kayden’s death. The firm was fined £10,000.
The FAI will also investigate the death of Mr Stevenson, from Cupar, Fife, who drowned after attempting to assist a client who experienced difficulties in the waters flowing through Dollar Glen, Stirlingshire, on April 13 last year.
Stevenson was a director of a company which offered “canyoning” experiences on Scottish rivers.
The inquiry into Stevenson’s death is mandatory because it happened during his work, while the Crown said it was voluntarily holding an FAI into Kayden’s death.
It said the Procurator Fiscal will provide detailed evidence to the inquiry around the facts and circumstances of Kayden and Stevenson’s deaths, which will include a consideration of the regulation of canyoning and river boarding in Scotland.
A preliminary hearing will be held on September 2 at Falkirk Sheriff Court.
Procurator Fiscal Andy Shanks, who leads on fatalities investigations for COPFS, said: “The Lord Advocate considers that the deaths of Ruaridh Stevenson and Kayden Walker occurred in similar circumstances, both deaths occurring while they were engaged in water-based outdoor activities.
“The lodging of the First Notice enables FAI proceedings to commence under the direction of the Sheriff.
“The families of Ruaridh and Kayden will continue to be kept informed of significant developments as court proceedings progress.”
